As a female, I have lived my entire life worrying about what I wear because of other people. One of these ways being how my clothing decisions will affect my presentation at school, based on administrators’ enforcements. I am exhausted, as are the rest of the young females like me. We just want to live in a world where what we wear won’t define us as individuals, or a group of people. We want to be in a world where what we wear signifies our confidence, our individuality and our freedom. We do not want to be tied down in terms of our clothing or have anyone other than ourselves control what we wear. We already have enough unfair control in other areas of our lives.

When I go to school, I want to be able to walk through the doors confidentially, proudly, and comfortably. I do not want to worry about which teacher or staff member will approach me and tell me to cover myself up. It’s degrading for me and any female who is told the same thing. Boys can wear pants that sag below their waist and t-shirts that expose their entire chest, and never get told to cover up or change what they’re wearing. I am not saying that dress coding boys will make the dress code even. I am saying that abolishing the dress code will solve this issue. I am saying that, if we are at school to learn, why are we caring so much about what girls wear? That should be none of anyone’s concern. We are not a distraction or a disruption. Not just boys, all males, need to learn how to control themselves. It is their issue, not ours. It is not our duty to define our clothing choices around male behavior. 

The dress code against girls in school is regulated more than gun control in schools. Across the country, administrators regulate more of what girls wear everyday than what weapon could be inside the backpack of any student. In an article from Teen Vogue, it reads, “Students who violate school dress codes have faced suspension, expulsion, and even the threat of arrest, all things that could disrupt their ability to participate in class and possibly affect their acceptance to a university. In one recent case, almost 150 students at a Connecticut high school were suspended in one day for violating the school's dress code. Although the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 required states receiving federal funds for education to institute a one-year expulsion minimum for students found to have brought a weapon to school, the law allows schools' chief administering officers to issue more-lenient punishment on a case-by-case basis.” Another section of the article reads, “The sexualization of children and teens by these adults is disgusting, and it causes teens to constantly worry instead of letting them focus on their work.” This is one example of how schools prioritize dress codes against females more than gun control that threatens lives of children and adults. 

From Bend Lapine’s own district policy on dress code, our district has stated the following: 

“The Board believes that appropriate dress and grooming contribute to a productive learning environment. The Board expects students to give proper attention to personal cleanliness and to wear clothes that are suitable for the school activities in which they participate. Students have the right to make individual choices from a wide range of clothing and grooming styles, but they must not present a health or safety hazard, or a distraction that would interfere with the educational process.”    

 Our district believes that as long as the clothing students wear is suitable for the educational process, it is acceptable. I believe that wearing clothing that presents negative comments against certain groups of race, religion, gender, are disruptive and discriminatory to wear. I do not believe that anything else, a pair of shorts, a skirt, a tank top, etc, is not disruptive or discriminatory. The only thing the dress code should be regulating is what I stated above to be disruptive and discriminatory. I am a strong believer in equal rights, women’s rights, and freedom. Abolishing the dress code, which stands as a sexist and sometimes racist rule, will bring comfort and awareness to the females and other individuals that attend or work at the schools in the Bend Lapine School District.